Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Which Is Better: Vista, OS X Leopard or Linux?

The age old debate of which OS is better, be it Vista, XP, OS X or one of the zillion and one Linux distros, still rages on, and, most likely, will continue to rage on for some time to come.

Windows expert, Chris Pirillo, is a very popular fellow these days as the host of Chrispirillo.com., and as such, he is continually asked, on a daily basis, what he thinks is the best OS out there. Chris tells his many, many thousands of readers and listener's of his forums, that no one OS is perfect, it all depends on what an individual is needs and wants. I, for one, couldn't agree more. Chris wisely advices: "Don't Outsource Your Thinking!" Good point.

The question of which OS you should consider is one that really only you can decide and not one for any OS vendor to simply cram down your throat. Vista marketing will try to lure you with their "Wow" campaign; Apple will try to convince you to switch with their popular "Switch" and "I'm a PC; I'm a Mac" campaigns and Linux will try and convert you with their promises that Linux is arriving any day now!

However, regardless of what they say, it is you, the end user, who's final word is what really counts. It is, therefore, your duty to really look into the claims of each OS, and look closer at their various strengths and weaknesses and then decide, based on your needs, wants and desires, which OS will ultimately come closest to fulfilling what you want and need.

If you want tons of software, both freeware and commercial, well, the truth is Microsoft OS's, XP and Vista will give you the greatest choice. Windows dominates the vast majority of desktops and it is a well known commodity for most people. Games are especially a strong point in-considering a Windows based system. Sadly, however, Windows also has a legacy of insecurity and other issues. The last time I read there were well over 114,000 virus's alone, with some 400 or more created each and every day of the week!

If you prefer and want, however, to have more control over your OS, then, most likely, you will want to take a close look at the many, many Linux distros out there. Last time I checked there were some 386 of them, with Ubuntu being one of the most popular. Be forewarned, however, that this is not a process that is easy, or for anyone other than a true geek or the technically educated and minded person, with lots of time on their hands, to achieve. If you fall in the later category, well, you will be hard pressed to find an OS that will top it for experimentation, control and for the pure pleasure of being able to twink the system to your hearts content.

OS X, like both Windows and Linux, can give you a large source of both commercial and open source based software, and like Linux, a very high degree of OS control if you so desire. In many ways Linux and OS X are alike, and have open source roots. OS X based Macintosh Intel computers will offer you several distinct advantages - such as it being the only platform that will enable you to run virtually all software - be it Windows, Linux or OS X programs!

Being a recently certified Unix 3 system, OS X's security is as good if not better than anything out there. The OS X interface is legendary -Vista and Linux, through Beryl, Complz and XGL, etc., have all tried to emulate it as best they could, but, in my opinion, none have equalled, let alone, bested OS X's interface. When your competitors start copying you, you know that it is more than the sincerest form of flattery.

OS X is also legendary because of its fantastic level of security - no virius have ever been released in the wild, only trojan and other concept exploits have been reported and this after a full 6 years of service and tens of millions of users! Furthermore, only Apple OS X based computers have the luxury of being truly optimized for each other, and just one of the many reasons why they work so seamlessly.

In-conclusion, only you, after educating yourself to the advantages and disadvantages of each OS, coupled with your needs and wants, can determine what is the best OS for you! Personally, I love all of them for various reasons, but in the end, its really no contest - OS X is the best! Well, at least, for me.

Finally, if your interested in knowing what long-time Windows expert, Chris Pirillo's best OS is, well, just click on the above video or visit his link below. Hint, Chris agrees, like veteran Windows expert, Scott Finnie, that the best OS of all time is........

And thats my 2 cents on the debate of which OS is the best 4 Wednesday, November 21, 2007.